Two Things #3

"But Ruth replied, 'Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God." (Ruth 1:16 NLT)

The Bible does not give us the background information about Ruth and Naomi's relationship or Naomi's character. I assume, based on Ruth's response, that Naomi was a wonderful, loving mother-in-law, but I cannot say for sure. What we know is Ruth chose faithfulness over convenience and self-interest, and faithfulness came with costs and uncertainties.

They were women. They were widows in a time that property could not be bequeathed to women. They were destitute evidenced by Ruth gleaning in the fields. They were broken. Both of them had experienced loss. In fact, Naomi felt the pangs of loss so greatly that she declared "'Don’t call me Naomi...Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?'" (Ruth 1:20‭-‬21 NLT)

But God had a plan...

You know the story. It's a beautiful, triumphant story.  Ruth, the Moabitess, the widow, the faithful daughter-in-law, the foreigner, marries Boaz! (Boaz is to Ruth and Naomi what Christ is to believers.) Ruth is King David's great-grandmother and an ancestor of Christ. She is one of only five women included in the genealogy of Jesus.

Two things:
(1) What if our response to God was fashioned after Ruth's response to Naomi? What if we were determined to go with God? What if we clung to God and offered a heartfelt Ruth proclamation?
"I won't leave you and turn back. Wherever you say go, I will go; wherever you say live, I will live. Your people are my people, and you, God, are my God." Then continued to journey with Him.

(2) What area of our individual lives do you and I need to apply a Ruth faithfulness?

Proverbs 3:3-4 tells us to "let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. (NIV) Before Boaz saw or met Ruth gleaning in his fields, he heard about her faithfulness to Naomi. (Ruth 2:11-12) Maybe part of the reason we're not seeing favor in certain areas is because we lack faithfulness in those same areas. Let us stay mindful of Luke 16:10-12.

Two Things #2

I really enjoy my church home and family. We have the most loving Pastor and First Lady. The praise and worship is phenomenal. The Word is always timely, relevant, and packed with things the spirit needs. We laugh. We sing. We worship. We love on one another. We grow. My church is an awesome place to be. Even so, I was not feeling it this morning.

My mind was inundated with thoughts like: "Maybe church isn't for me. Can I live for Christ and be authentic? I don't want to be fake. I don't want to have to hide my mistakes and shortcomings. I don't want to pretend. I am beyond flawed. Yesterday, I said...In the past, I did...Have I really changed? Am I just going through the motions? It's not like going to church saves me. I can stay home, read, and pray. I missed last Sunday. I didn't go to Bible Study on Wednesday. Church shouldn't cause this much angst."

Thank God I went! I was ministered to and fed. I was able to be fellowship with my loving brothers and sisters in Christ. I received encouragement and confirmation. I got some of the best hugs and shared in some good laughter. It was a powerful service.

Often times, we are controlled by the thoughts that we should capture. This morning would have been an "opportune time" for me to use the weapons of our warfare. I could have responded with:

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:24‭-‬25 KJV

"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins." Romans 3:23‭-‬24 NLT

"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1 NLT

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ..."
2 Corinthians 5:17‭-‬18 NLT

"We live in this world, but we don’t fight our battles in the same way the world does. The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments, and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3‭-‬5 ERV

I could have used "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," and went to war. I did not. I did nothing, and my mind was not a pleasant place. Too often, all too often, we do nothing when hell is waging an all out assault. Spiritual warfare is real. We are fighting against "all the schemes, strategies and deceits of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11 AMP) We cannot afford to do nothing.

Two things:

(1) Get dressed.
Ephesians 6:10-17 instructs us to put on the whole armor of God so that we can resist and stand firm against the enemy. It is vitally important to get dressed with the protection that God provides. James 4:7 reads "...resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Being fully prepared, standing firm, emerging victorious, and making the enemy retreat requires that we put on the full armor of God. Without it, we are sure to be exposed.

(2) Talk to yourself!
We are often prepared to argue with others, but go mute when our internal conversations are contrary to the Word of God. We have the full armor of God and weapons powered by God, but we often lack the faith and obedience to follow the example set by Christ. In the wilderness, He gave us a simple, effective, never failing battleplan, "It is written..." Utilize the Word. Speak the Word.

Two Things

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith..." 
1 Peter 5:8‭-‬9 NLT

As I was thinking of Apostle Peter's caution to believers, I thought about Jesus' caution to Peter. They sound so similar.

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
Luke 22:31‭-‬32 ESV

He knew the same enemy that seeks to devour us sought to sift him. Peter spoke from a place of experience. In that way, it was a highly personal message. Peter learned that truth experientially, and he experienced grief with the lesson. (Luke 22:68 and John 21:17)  

Peter, after being warned by Jesus, fell and failed. He denied even knowing Jesus. (Luke 22:54-62)  Unlike Judas, he repented, confirmed his love for Christ (John 21:15-19), and became the rock the church was built on, a fisher of men. (Praise God that our frailties do no stop God's faithfulness, in His character or to His Word. Peter repented, and God prevailed!)

"Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." 
Matthew 16:18 NLT

"And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 4:18‭-‬19 KJV

Two things:
(1) What have you and I learned from our personal falls and failures?
God can transform the lessons we learned from painful experiences into powerful messages. He did it for Peter, and He can do it for us. (Acts 10:34 and Romans 8:28)

(2) Are we alert? 
Jesus' prediction of Peter's denial, we can assume, did not stay on the forefront of Peter's mind. Maybe it was due to the chaos that ensued after Jesus was arrested. Maybe Peter actually believe there was no way he would deny Jesus and dismissed the warning. What we know is after the rooster crowed and Christ looked at him, "suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind."  (Luke 22:61 NLT) Peter was able to tell us to "stay alert" knowing that there is price for distraction in spiritual warfare. 

Thanks for allowing me to share with you.

Have a great Tuesday!

-LeKechia